I awoke this morning to a gentle whisper. Not an audible one, but a quiet nudging of the spirit. My body was asking me, in the nicest way possible, to get moving.
See, I haven’t been exercising lately. As a health professional, that is a bit hard to admit, but there it is.
I have plenty of good reasons (read: excuses) for my recent inactivity. My schedule is crazy. I have two kids in two different schools at two different times. My baseball coach husband has started Spring Training. The weather is…oh, who am I kidding? I live in Phoenix – the weather is wonderful.
I think what really has me stuck is an order from my doctor to avoid any kind of intense exercise for a while because of some chronic injuries. I am only allowed to do yoga, walking, and gentle stretching (not exactly my cup of tea).
So because I haven’t been allowed to exercise the way I want to, I quit.
Kind of the adult version of a temper tantrum, don’t you think?
I’m a person of extremes. If I can’t go all out, I don’t want to do any of it. Can anyone relate?
So this morning, my body said, “Come on, get outside, it’s a beautiful day, let’s go for a walk.”
Fine (grumble, grumble).
It was a quick walk around the neighborhood, nothing fancy. Towards the end my upper back started hurting a little, thanks to the weakness of bending over a computer/laundry/dishes all day.
So I came home and grabbed an exercise band, did 10 back squeezes, 10 tricep extensions, and 10 half-squats. Then I took the time to stretch (I usually skip that part) and foam roll.
Whew! I did it. And it felt good. Now to do it again tomorrow, and the next day…
I know myself well enough to know I can’t do this on my own. So I called a friend who lives nearby and told her I need a walking buddy.
Turns out she needed one too.
And so the moral of the story is: don’t let the inability to do everything keep you from doing something. And if you need help, ask for it. Chances are, the person you ask will need help, too.
